Parliamentary questions

Rob Gibson

971 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

7 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how legislative measures to protect and develop the Welsh language informed the development of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The development of the legislative provisions in the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill has taken full account of the arrangements which have been put in place to protect and develop the Welsh language. The solutions proposed for Scotland differ from those enact…

6 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils will benefit from the Youth Music Initiative, broken down by age group and local authority area.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-12393 on 8 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webap…

6 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what types of music are offered to schools through the Youth Music Initiative in each local authority area.

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the exclusion of care and nursing homes from the water charges exemptions scheme will have on the pace of closure of care and nursing homes.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: None. We will invest an additional £37 million in 2006-07 and £57 million the following year to increase care home fees and reward those who provide the best quality care home services. This takes the total amount of additional funding for the care home secto…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the National Review Group's calculations on nursing and care home costs will next be reviewed and whether water charges will be included in the calculation and, if so, how.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: An increase in real terms will be applied to the revenue element of existing care home costs to take account of various pressures, including utility charges, from 1 April 2006.</p>

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Environment and Rural Development on 31 August 2004, whether it has any plans to revisit the scope, extent and timescale of the conditions which form part of the water charges exemptions scheme for voluntary and charitable organisations and, i…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive has extended the duration of the exemption scheme until 2010, pending decisions on introducing of new arrangements for charging unmetered non-domestic customers of Scottish Water. As the scheme’s eligibility criteria continue to reflect its orig…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to request the Auditor General for Scotland to carry out an investigation into the accuracy of the billing database maintained by Scottish Water.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We have no such plans.</p>

19 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what feedback it has had from local authorities on the roll-out of its youth music initiative.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Local authority feedback is currently being sought following the completion of the first year of Youth Music Initiative (YMI) operation. This will be available by the end of April 2005. In addition, there are representatives of several strands of local author…

19 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation it is carrying out of the delivery of its youth music initiative in schools.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Arts Council is in the process of producing an Interim Operational Review, and recommendations for the Youth Music Initiative (YMI) Reference Group. This review is due for completion in early 2005. </p><p>The YMI Reference Group intends to commis…

19 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what methods and types of music have been chosen by local authorities as part of the roll-out of its youth music initiative.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Youth Music Initiative Reference Group, which is made up of representatives from the youth music field (both local authority and independent/informal sectors), the Scottish Arts Council, the Scottish Executive and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and D…

19 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Somerfield PLC is being actively encouraged to deliver supplies to its existing stores in Dingwall, Alness and Invergordon by rail as well as to its recently-acquired Safeway Compact stores in Wick and Thurso.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: We remain committed to encouraging the transfer of freight from road to rail and water and are in regular discussion with companies from across Scotland to promote the use of rail freight. These are, however, sensitive commercial matters and the final decisio…

19 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken any action to encourage the transfer of Safeway’s contract for carriage of goods by rail to Somerfield PLC to ensure that there is less supermarket traffic on the roads in the north of Scotland.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: We remain committed to encouraging the transfer of freight from road to rail and water. Our commitment to modal shift is demonstrated by the recently announced budget of £44 million for the three years from April 2005 to March 2008 for the Freight Facilities …

10 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in which venues in France performances and exhibitions of Scottish art forms have taken place during the centenary year of the Entente Cordiale.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the question S2W-12122 answered on 30 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/weba…

10 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what Scottish art forms have been supported with funds earmarked for performances and exhibitions in France during the centenary year of the Entente Cordiale.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Information including art forms and venues in France, for all events organised as part of the Entente Cordiale centenary celebrations, can be found on the Scottish Executive’s website for the centenary programme: <ahref="http://www.ententecordialescotland.org…

10 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funds made available to promote Scotland in France during the centenary year of the Entente Cordiale have been fully utilised.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Scottish ministers approved a budget of up to £500,000 to support the Scottish celebrations of the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, of which £337,889 has been spent so far in direct support of the Scottish Entente Cordiale programme.</p>

4 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it organised a launch event for a rural health faculty to take place at Heriot-Watt University in the summer of 2002 and, if so, whether such a launch was subsequently cancelled by the then Minister for Health and Community Care.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive did not organise such an event, nor was any such event cancelled by the Minister for Health and Community Care. The concept of a network of health professionals was under discussion in 2001 and 2002 through the Remote and Rural Areas Resource In…

25 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many days Tingwall Airport, Shetland, was closed due to fog in each year since 2000.

Answer · Andy Kerr: There have been no days whenTingwall Airport has been closed due to fog since 2000. If the closureof an airport affected air ambulance services, then the Scottish Ambulance Servicewould consider calling upon the services of the Coastguard or the Ministry of D…

25 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many days air ambulances at Tingwall Airport, Shetland, were unable to fly as a result of poor weather conditions in each of the last four years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Ambulance Service does not retain records on the number of occasions aircraft were unable to fly due to the weather. However, when contracted aircraft are restricted due to severe weather conditions the ambulance service will call upon the servic…

25 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many days wind speeds rose above 39 miles per hour at Tingwall Airport, Shetland, in each of the last four years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The nearest weather station toTingwall is at Lerwick. Information on the number of days mean wind speeds exceeded39 miles per hour at Lerwick has been obtained from the Met Office and is set outin the table below:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding…

25 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government regarding its proposed review of the Game Acts, as reported in The Times on 12 October 2004; whether such a review is planned for the Game (Scotland) Acts and, if so, how, and when, it intends to bring forward any proposed changes…

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the proposed review of the Game Acts, and is presently considering this issue.</p>